PHOTO TRAVEL DIARY | COLLONGES-LA-ROUGE, FRANCE

November 11, 2015November 9, 2015 ~ Amy | bobo & mimi ~ Leave a comment

I briefly mentioned in my Sephora Mini Haul post that I spent a few days in France back in October, with a couple of friends. We had lots of lazy days, sitting around the cottage, drinking wine and eating cheese (when in Rome, or rather when in France…) mixed up with a few exploring adventures to see some of the towns and villages in the surrounding area. The highlight for me was definitely heading to Collonges-la-Rouge for an afternoon.

Built entirely from red sandstone, Collonges-la-Rouge is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited. Full of tiny, winding lanes and alleyways, every corner unearths another amazing sight. The marketplaces date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, with areas such as the fortified wall being built in the 14th century. Also, super delicious ice cream was an added bonus!

Here are a few photos from our afternoon trip to Collonges-la-Rouge:

AUTUMN STYLE EDIT

November 9, 2015November 10, 2015 ~ Amy | bobo & mimi ~ 3 Comments

I’m trying to be a little more intentional with my shopping, which I talked about in my Capsule Wardrobe Quandry post, and taking some time each season to think about what I really need to add to my wardrobe rather just packing it full of things that I decide I desperately want and then finding I have few items which actually work together.

Here’s a little look at the items I’ve picked up over the last couple of weeks to update my wardrobe now that #winteriscoming.

Grey jersey long belted trench coat, River Island, £75 here
Black suede pull on ankle boots, ASOS, £42 here
Leather look black leggings, ASOS, £22 here
Smith & Cult nail varnish in Lovers Creep, Space NK, £19 here
White ‘V’ back oversized jumper, Nasty Gal, £38.40 here
Red Herring checked shirt, Debenhams, £26 (now £19.50) here

CAPSULE WARDROBE QUANDARY

November 4, 2015November 10, 2015 ~ Amy | bobo & mimi ~ 2 Comments

So here’s the thing, I’m not sure I’m capable of being a “capsule wardrobe” person. I’ve always been the absolute opposite of a minimalist in all things in life. Overflowing bathroom cabinets, the same top in All.The.Colour.Options, more shoes than Imelda Marcos. You get the idea.

But recently I’ve been making a concerted effort to actually think through what my wardrobe is missing, now that England is definitely moving towards winter, and make a list of pieces I think will work well with my existing clothes and add something to my wardrobe; a classic check shirt, a new grown-up winter coat, some flat black boots I can actually walk about in all day.

Part of this was the realisation that over the summer I pretty much wore the same half a dozen outfits the whole time, inadvertently creating my own capsule wardrobe of sorts. This, coupled with seeing Anna’s super inspiring posts / vlogs about her own capsule wardrobe experiment, has made me wonder if it’s something I actually could do.

Anna’s posts led me to Caroline Rector’s blog Un-Fancy where she documents her capsule wardrobe. There was a sentence on her blog that really resonated with me, explaining that the spirit behind living with a capsule wardrobe shouldn’t be about “guilt, competition, or extremism”. Amen to that!

I’ve always hated reading articles about decluttering and clearing out your wardrobe because the advice was always so alien to me. I’m definitely one of those people that hangs on to things “just in case” or for sentimental reasons so the super ruthless approach is never going to work for me. Caroline’s approach seemed almost revolutionary to me. Definitely head over to her blog to read more in her own, far more articulate words, but she talks a lot about flexibility and finding an approach to a capsule wardrobe lifestyle that works for you, plus she emphasises not beating yourself up about how much you have and how you could have done worthier things with the money you’ve spent on clothes. What I took from her blog was that instead of viewing a stuffed closet as something to be guilty about, look at it as a chance to put something good back out into the world by being able to share something you have been lucky enough to be able to own and afford. For me this means giving some pieces to friends who I know will love them and get lots of use out of them, packing up some of my barely worn winter coats and donating them to a local women’s refuge and donating items to charity shops that support causes close to my heart.

I still feel like I’d be nothing but a complete failure at trying to live with a capsule wardrobe but I’m definitely inspired to give it a try. The recommendation seems to be to have a capsule wardrobe of around 37 pieces that includes outerwear, tops, bottoms, dresses and shoes (but that excludes accessories, jewellery, underwear, sleepwear and workout clothes) and keep those items in rotation for a full three month season.

I’m going to think about it seriously over the next few days but it’s something I think I’d like to challenge myself to do. I’m not planning on doing any drastic clear outs just yet as I’m very much not convinced this is something I can succeed at long term but nobody *needs* as much stuff as I have and I’m sure I can live quite happily with a more pared down wardrobe. Or if not happily, I can certainly survive with what will still be a lot more than many people have. If nothing else, my bank balance will thank me for not shopping in December and January!

What do you think about capsule wardrobes? Do you have one? Is it something you think you could do?

SEPHORA MINI HAUL

October 28, 2015October 28, 2015 ~ Amy | bobo & mimi ~ 1 Comment

Do three items count as a haul? Thought not…

Anyway, on my trip to France last week I popped into Sephora to help ease my withdrawal symptoms until I get to the US next year (because Sephora’s in Europe are NOT the same as Sephora’s in the US. True fact.) and can do some serious damage.

In truth, I probably would have bought more had the Sephora that I went to not had such terribly rude staff however once a make-up addict, always a make-up addict and it turns out I’ll put up with a lot to feed my addiction.

I picked up two of the Sephora Cream Lip Stains €10.95 (approx £8.50) in the shades 01 Always Red and 06 Pink Souffle.

I love the Sephora lip stains; they’re la ong lasting, highly pigmented cream that sets to a lightweight lip stain and, as they have avocado oil in them, a great option for a matte look that doesn’t dry out the lips.

Always Red is a repurchase and I adore it. It’s a classic, bold true red in a perfect matte finish. Pink Souffle is a great everyday option, although it does come up as a brighter pink on my lips than the swatch so I think I may try it with a little foundation over my lips first to get a truer version of the colour when I wear this.

I also picked up a mini version of the Make Up For Ever HD Microfinish Powder €14.50 (approx £11.25) because who can resist products in travel size?! I’ve only tried this once so far but I’ll post a review once I’ve used it a little more.